Gas switch rod heater with flash ignition for railway switches



G. N. BURWELL 3,484,601

GAS SWITCH ROD HEATER WITH FLASH IGNITION FOR RAILWAY SWITCHES Dec. 16, 1969 Filed July 19, 1967 INVENTOR. Gar Maa? /I arwell BY l LTTORNEY United States Patent O 3,484,601 GAS SWITCH ROD HEATER WITH FLASH IGNITION FOR RAILWAY SWITCHES Garwood N. Burwell, Madison, NJ., assignor to The Rails Company, Hamden, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed July 19, 1967, Ser. No. 654,444 Int. Cl. E01b 7/24; F23c 5/00 U.S. Cl. 246--428 6 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF INVENTION Gas fueled railway switch heaters are well known, and said heaters generally include a heater tube or pipe having llame orifices along the rail to be heated and having a series of inspirators supplying the fuel mixture and also having some form of ignition for the gas fuel in the heater pipe. One such switch heater is disclosed in Patent No. 2,633,190.

However, many of these switch heaters are deficient in that they do not adequately heat the areas around the switch rods.

SUMMARY The present invention has for its main object the provision of a novel and improved heater for a switch rod used in combination 4with a gas fueled rail heater.

An important feature of the invention is the provision of novel and simple means for igniting the burners of the switch rod heater by flash-ignition from the gas llame in the main rail heater.

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a schematic plan view of a railway switch and main and secondary heaters for the main rails and switch rod, respectively;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective View of a portion of the main heater, a portion of the o secondary heater, and the flash tube connection between the two heaters, with the two heaters turned slightly out of their normal relationship for clearness of illustration;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary composite side elevation and longitudinal sectional View of the secondary heater;

FIGURE 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view on the plane of the line 4 4 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a transverse `vertical sectional view through the main heater and a portion of the flash tube and the mounting thereof on the main heater;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary perspective View of a portion of the heater and the inspirator and ignitor therefor;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged fragmentary central sectional view of one of the burners, and

-FIGURE 8 is a top plan view thereof with portions broken away. f'

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring first to FIGURE 1 of the drawing, one main rail track is designated 1 while the other main rail 3,484,601 Patented Dec. 16, 1969 track includes two sections 2 and 2a. A continuation 2b of the rail section 2 forms a part of the switch track the other part 0f which is designated 3. Associated with these rails are the switch points 4 and 5 of known construction which are connected by a switch rod 6 which is operated in the usual manner by mechanism generally designated 7. The rails are mounted on ties 8 as usual and the switch rod is disposed between two ties.

For simplicity in description, only one main heater has been illustrated, and this heater generally designated A is of generally known construction and mounted -by suitable brackets in known manner on the ties close to and in parallel relation to the main rail 1. In accordance with the invention a Secondary heater B designed especially for the switch rod 6 is associated with the main heater A.

In practice it is common to utilize a plurality of identical main heaters A in end-toi-end relation to each other, and each heater includes a heater tube 8 having a plurality of burner holes 9 spaced longitudinally thereof. Associated with each heater tube is an ignition chamber 1d communicating with the burner tube 8 and into which the gaseous fuel is introduced through an inspirator 11 from a gas supply pipe 12. The gaseous fuel is automatically ignited in an ignition chamber by a known type of ignitor generally designated 13 which may be electrical as shown, for example, in Patent No. 2,960,159.

Secured to and projecting from one side of the heater tube 8 is a baille plate C which is shown in the form of a channel having approximately parallel arms 14 which span and are secured at their edges to the heater tube 8 as shown in FIGURES 2 and 5 and are connected by a web 15 in which are a plurality of burner ports 16 each in approximate alignment or register with one of the burner holes 9 so that the flame from the burner is projected through the port and thence against the rail. The secondary heater for the switch rod includes a heater tube 17 having burners 18 spaced apart longitudinally thereof and also having one end connected to a branch 19 of the fuel supply pipe 12 through an inspirator 19a so that gaseous fuel is supplied from said pipe to the heater tube. Associated with the heater tube is a baflle hood D which is similar to the baille plate C, and has end `walls D'.

In use, the heater tube 17 and baille hood are mounted between two adjacent ties 1a beneath the switch rod 6. As shown in FIGURE 4, there are two brackets 19 each of which has its opposite ends connected to one of the ties as by a lag screw 20, and the heater tube and baille hood are clamped on brackets 19 by clamp strips 21 whose ends are shown as secured by bolts 22 to the respective brackets.

For conducting a flame flash from the main heater to the secondary heater, there is shown a flash tube 23 having one end connected to one end of a flexible conduit 24 and its other end connected to an ignition fitting 25 which is shown as screw-thread at 26 into the heater tube 17. At its inner end, the ignition fitting communicates with the interior of the heater tube through a restricted orifice 28 which is shown in a disk 29 clamped between the end of the fitting and the base of the recess 30 into which the fitting is screwed. Exteriorally of the heater tube and beneath the baffle hood D, the fitting is provided with a plurality of laterally or radially directed air holes 31.

The flash tube 23 has its end opposite the conduit 24 preferably closed at 32 and is rigidly secured to a bracket E whose approximately parallel arms 33 are adapted to span the baille plate C and main heater tube 8 and are connected by a web 34 to which the flash tube is secured as by welding. The flash tube may be circular in cross section and have its end slightly flattened to facilitate attachment thereof to the bracket, and the tube has a transverse perforation 35 therethrough approximately in register with an aperture 36 in the bracket and with the burner port 16. To ensure this register, preferably the ports 16 are arranged equidistantly apart and an index tab 36 has one end secured to the bracket E and its other end bent at an angle to fit into one of the burner ports, the length of the index tab being such that when the bent end of the tab is in one port, the perforation in the Hash tube is in register with another burner port 16. The bracket E is shown as secured in position by a separable fastening element such as a cotter pin 37 which passes through holes in the bracket arms 33 and abuts the heater tube 8.

In FIGURES 2, 4 and 5 the burners are shown schematically, but it is desirable that a burner of the construction shown in FIGURES 7 and 8 be utilized. This burner comprises a body 40 which is shown as approximately cylindrical and having a longitudinal hole 41 therethrough. Disposed transversely of said hole and seated on a shoulder 42 is a burner screen 43 which has a plurality of orifices 44 therethrough. Between the screen 44 and the end of the body is a flow restricting plate 45 having its major portion spaced from the screen 44 and having its edges clamped between screen and inturned ange 46 on the end of the body. The plate has a restricted aperture 47 through which the gaseous fuel ows a small stream from the passage in the heater tube to the screen 44. The fio'w of gas through the burner is restricted by the plate 45 and the gas stream is divided into a plurality of sub-streams by the apertures 44, and a secondary mixing of the gas and air occurs between the plate 45 and the screen and in the hole 41 where the gas is ignited and burns.

In operation of the heater, the gaseous fuel is supplied in the usual Way and the fuel in the main heater is automatically ignited. Some of the gaseous fuel passes into the secondary heater tube 17 and iiows slowly through the restricted orifice 28 into the fitting 25 thence through the conduit 24 and into the tiash tube 23 where the gas is ignited by flame from the main heater passing through the burner port 16. A fiame flash of the fuel in the tube 23, conduit 24 and fitting 25 is thus produced and the tiash is projected lthrough the lateral holes 31 of the fitting into the bafiie hood D where the fiame ignites the gas emerging from the burners 18.

What I claim is:

1. In a heater for a railway switch which includes main rails on ties and a pair of switch points connected together adjacent one end by a switch rod disposed between two ties, the combination of a main heater tube adapted to be located adjacent one of said main rails and having at least one burner hole and a bafiie plate for said burner hole in which there is a burner port for directing fiame to the rail, a fuel supply pipe connected to said heater tube, and an ignitor for igniting fuel at said burner, a secondary heater tube for said switch rod having burners with burner screens and flow restricting plates to be located beneath the switch rod and connected to said fuel supply pipe and having a baffie hood for flame from said burners and means for Hash-igniting fuel at the burners of secondary heater tube including a flash tube having a transverse perforation juxtaposed to said burner port of said baffle plate, a tubular fitting communicating at one end through a restricted orifice with the interior -outside said secondary heater tube some of which are beneath said baie hood, and a conduit connecting said flash tube to the other end of said fitting providing for slow passage through said orifice of fuel from said secondary heater tube into said fitting and thence through said conduit to said flash tube, whereby flame from said burner port of the bafiie plate of the main heater is fiashed through said fiash tube, said conduit and said fitting with consequent ignition of fuel from said secondary heater tube burners by flame projected through said holes in said fitting.

2. In a heater as defined in claim 1, the addition of a plurality of brackets to span the space between said ties, means for fastening the ends of the brackets to the ties, and means for clamping said secondary heater tube and said bafe hood on said brackets.

3. In a heater as defined in claim 1, said baie plate projecting from one side of said main heater tube, and the addition of means mounting said flash tube comprising a channel-shaped bracket having a pair of parallel arms connected by a fiat web having a hole therein, said arms adapted to span said burner plate and main heater tube with said hole in register with said burner port, said ash tube being secured on said web with its transverse perforation in register with said hole in said Web.

4. In a heater as defined in claim 3, a removable fastening element passing through apertures in said arms of the bracket to abut said main heater tube.

5. In a heater as defined in claim 1 each burner including a body fitted in a bore in the wall of the heater tube and having a hole therethrough, a gas and air mixing burner screen disposed transversely of said hole intermediate its ends, and a flow restriction plate disposed transversely of said hole in spaced relation to said screen between the screen and the inner end of said hole and having a restricted aperture for passage of gas from said heater tube to said screen.

6. A heater for a railway switch comprising a heater tube thrugoh which gas is supplied, said tube having a bore through the wall thereof, a burner including a body fitted into said bore and having a hole therethrough opening at one end into said tube, a gas and air mixing burner screen disposed transversely of said hole intermediate the ends of the hole and having a plurality of orifices therethrough, and a fiow restriction plate disposed transversely of said hole in spaced relation to said screen and between the screen and the end of the hole that opens into said tube, said restriction plate having a restricted aperture for the passage of gas in a small stream from said tube to said screen.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,199,960 5/ 1940 Palmer 246-428 2,704,517 3/ 1955 Gracia 246-428 3,204,094 8/ 1965 Huisinga 246-428 3,233,097 2/ 1966 Watkins 246-428 ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner R. A. BERTSCH, Assistant Examiner Us. c1. XR. 

